Sports

Cannabis and Pain Management in the Sports World

JADEO
3 weeks ago / Toronto, Ontario

We all know that athletes never have it easy, even if the amazing feats they accomplish always look effortless. While most of us understand how much agony athletes go through mentally, the physical pain they suffer with is sometimes worse.

Things are starting to change here in Canada and around the world. As cannabis becomes slowly more accepted into society, you're seeing more athletes turn to cannabis for pain relief (and more).

Take a look at various developments on this subject and what the future might look like in athletic training.

Athletes Are Proving Cannabis Isn't a Performance Enhancer

One thing athletes are using cannabis for is to help pain during pre and post-training. They've also proven marijuana isn't a performance-enhancing drug. If cannabis becomes fully accepted into the athletic world, officials will know it's a drug that doesn't give athletes an unfair advantage.

What it does do, is help athletes better focus on their specific sports training. Since cannabis is known to help people hone in on details, it can similarly aid in training methods.

In other words, cannabis gets an athlete's mind into a flow state for better concentration.

In the above piece, Eugene Monroe (a former player with the Baltimore Ravens) noted that prescription pain medications were killing him. When he started using cannabis to manage his pain, he realized he could function again and think clearer.

Despite opposition in the sports world to using cannabis on a recreational basis, this could become the tipping point to medicinal uses if carefully administered.

More Canadian Athletes Are Using Cannabis

Even so, many athletes here are using it for more than just training purposes. Some are using it as a sleep aid to ensure better rest during training and before major competitions.

Plus, they're using it to help them with pain during recovery. Training intensely can sometimes lead to physical pains that cannabis helps manage temporarily.

Most think that despite cannabis being legal here, it won't have any impact on having it removed from the drug list at WADA.

The Rise in CBD Products to Manage Athletic Pain

A way for athletes to avoid controversy consuming cannabis during training is to simply turn to CBD products. This is a great alternative to cannabis because it doesn't give you the psychoactive high marijuana does.

Not only does it help with chronic pain, but it is also said to help athletes control performance anxiety and general stress. These experiences are a big part of athletic lives due to the often insurmountable pressures they face.

Edibles Are the Most Popular Form for All-Day Relief

Athletes going through the intense physical pains are turning primarily to CBD edibles to keep the anti-pain effect sustained. Most athletes start with a 10mg dose of CBD to see how it affects their body. Then they gradually consume more throughout the day.

Other athletes who need quicker relief are turning to vaping solutions to help get the CBD into their body immediately. CBD-rich strains are the most popular, though athletes who prefer regular cannabis go for indica strains.